I GOT married when I was 18 and since then I’ve had three children and I’m now a grandmother of seven.

I separated from my husband four years ago and looking back I realised I had lots of photos of kids over the years but there were very few pictures of me from that stage in life.

I was very critical of anything that was taken, I never liked pictures of myself and I thought it would be good to get a professional photograph taken because they know how to make you look better.

Like most women, you go through spells of feeling awful about yourself and other times not quite so awful.

In the last few months, I’ve started feeling quite good about myself. I’ve lost a bit of weight and started seeing someone new who is very special to me and has filled me with confidence, so I just felt the time was right to get these pictures done before I get too old.

One day, I saw a special offer for a photographic session at Adore Studios in Dundee and I thought: “That’s fate, I’m going to have it done.”

I didn’t want anything too graphic, I just wanted to look pretty, feminine and confident.

On the day of the shoot, I was very nervous. It had been cancelled for a couple of reasons and I thought: “I’m just not going to go.”

But in the end, I plucked up the courage. When I got there they gave me a little baby bottle of wine and then they did my make-up and my hair.

The photographer Lynne Robertson asked who were my favourite females to look at and I said Brigitte Bardot, Debbie Harry and Marilyn Monroe and they picked up on that immediately. The make-up was great and just how I wanted it to look – like myself but better. I felt relaxed because the girls were lovely and just chatted and it was a good environment to be in.

They ask you to take in three or four outfits. There’s an iconic picture of Marilyn Monroe where she has a layered skirt on and she’s sitting with her knees up and looking at the camera. I always liked the photograph and I liked the femininity and innocence of it.

It’s a look I wanted to replicate. We tried different outfits, which got slightly more sexy as we went on.

I was really pleased with the pictures.

Lynne had chosen 44 and I looked at them and wanted them all. She said:”You’ll have to bring that down to 10.” So first, I cut it down to 20 and eventually got it to 10 but it was really tough to choose.

I had to be ruthless and just go with my gut instinct.

When I first booked the appointment, I told Lynne my age and she said: “You’re not the oldest one by far.” I would say to all women to get something like this done.

Laraine in sensual and alluring shots (Image: Sunday Mail)

People think you have to reveal yourself or look sexy or flaunt yourself but I knew the look I wanted to go for, which was more feminine than anything else.

In most of them, I’ve got on a short lace black dress with full sleeves but am just showing a hint of something.

After all these years, this is the time of my life where I feel really good about myself.

I’ve shed the bad things and I feel confident and happy and I think these photos totally reflect that.

Karen Riley, 41, mum-of-two

I'VE got a grown-up son of 22 and I gave birth to my daughter, Amelia, back in January. I had a really bad pregnancy and was in and out of hospital with various things.

Amelia was born slightly premature and we found out she was Down’s syndrome. I had tests done when I was pregnant and they all came back saying I was low risk so I wasn’t expecting it at all. It all just knocked me mentally and physically and I felt drained. My self-esteem and confidence were pretty low as well.

Then I was on Facebook one day and saw an ad for Lynne’s boudoir photography sessions and I thought it looked fun so I decided to go for it.

I got the pictures done in April and I was quite nervous on the day I had them taken – more about my figure because I’d just had a baby. When I had my son, I was a lot younger and my figure went back straight away but, being a bit older, it’s taken a wee bit longer.

In the end, the photo shoot was a good laugh, in fact it was hilarious. The girl who did my make-up did a really good job. It was stunning but not overdone, which made me feel more confident and because it was a woman photographer, I felt more relaxed. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near it if it had been a man.

When I was choosing what to wear, I had a look online at other studio pictures and I looked at different basques and lingerie and chose some stuff I liked. I wanted to look sexy but still like me, not over the top.

They directed me on the day, so they would tell me if I was in a pose that worked and I did some of my own poses.

Karen's photos boosted her self-esteem after she had daughter Amelia

Everyone was relaxed and friendly so, although I felt a wee bit self-conscious at the start, after about five or 10 minutes I felt much better and started lapping it up.

The pictures were a gift for my partner too because he’s been through a tough time with everything. He loves them. We still speak about it and look at the photographs.

Amelia’s a lovely, happy child now. She has a little hole in her heart and is being monitored, but she’s fine. Having the pictures done was a real boost and a bit of a turning point for us.

It’s definitely boosted my confidence. It made me feel like me again instead of just being mumsy all the time.